American Graffiti

A buxom Native American woman in full headdress bats her enormous eyes at you from a tattoo. Brick walls reveal skeletons driving plum-colored cars or double-fisting bottles of agua del fuego amid roses. And on the side of a building, a three-story Madonna stands before a rosette window of spray-painted glass and glances down knowingly.

These are the kinds of images youll find on display at "The Nitty Gritty," a reunion show for paint-slingers who contributed to the bi-annual exhibitions of street art and graffiti culture that took place at Phoenixs Tonatierra Center from 1998 to 2003.

The installation features works by Armando Rascon, Pablo Luna, Lalo Cota and others. From the unfamiliar alleys of the past to the brightly tagged future, its bound to have you climbing the walls (or, at least, wanting to assault them with color) -- even if you dont know wheatpaste from shredded wheat.